U.S. stocks struggled for direction on Thursday as Boeing's rally pulled the Dow back into positive territory. Investors stayed focused on the Federal Reserve's annual symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyo., where investors are hoping Fed Chairman Jerome Powell on Friday will confirm expectations for a September rate cut. The S&P 500 /zigman2/quotes/210599714/realtimeSPX-0.07%
was down less than 0.1% to finish near 2,923. The Dow Jones Industrial Average /zigman2/quotes/210598065/realtimeDJIA+0.14%
advanced 51 points, or 0.2%, to end around 26,254, based on preliminary numbers The Nasdaq Composite /zigman2/quotes/210598365/realtimeCOMP-0.22%
fell 0.4% to close near 7,991. Shares for Boeing /zigman2/quotes/208579720/compositeBA+1.10%
climbed after an analyst said Federal Aviation Administration certification for its grounded 737 MAX plane could be a few weeks away. At the same time, investors were rattled after the IHS Markit purchasing manager's index for the U.S. manufacturing sector signaled a mild contraction in activity. Adding to the jitters, Kansas City Fed President Esther George and Philadelphia Fed President Patrick Harker both said there wasn't a strong case for further easing of monetary policy.

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